Quite The Fall
by Hugheyy
Summary: As Snow awakens from the astonishing fall from Felix Heights. He Finds Hope in a much worse state then himself. Now he must look after Hope until he recovers. Snow/Hope.  Now rated M for future chapters
1. Awakening

**Quite the fall.**

I gained consciousness. I awoke only to feel pain rushing through my whole body. I let out a groan as I struggled to my feet, I managed to balance myself for a few seconds- Before falling down to my knees, I looked around noticing, the area as an enclosed alleyway. My vision was blurred, but I could just make out shapes of objects, there were a few rectangular items placed across the ground, as my vision corrected itself, they revealed themselves as bricks.

I yet again tried to regain my balance. I was successful. I stood up and stretched, until I felt a piercing pain in my back. I groaned. And fell back to the floor. I looked up and seen a steel box. I dragged myself over, and glanced into the reflection- I gasped. My Tailcoat was covered in blood. I'm surprised I never noticed sooner, I tried to remove my blood-soaked Coat, Only to feel that there was something digging in my back. Pinning my coat to my back.

I turned my back on the reflection, trying to catch a glimpse of the item puncturing the skin on my back. I sighed as I seen a shard of glass sticking deep into my back. I started thinking what I was even doing here. How did I end up in a back alley? I shook my head. I placed one hand on the stubborn box, and the clutched the other hand around the fragment of glass. I bit my lip, inhaled- and slowly forced the glass out of my back. The agony nearly knocked me unconscious for a second time.

I exhaled the air that I had been storing in my lungs from the process of removal. I peeled away the coat off my body. At first I felt pain- but as the fresh air hit my wounds, it started to soothe the pain.

I flung my damp coat onto the steel box, I yet again stretched- This time there was no pain, just a feeling of relief. I walked into a small patch of sunlight- and stared up into the blazing sun. By the placing of the sun, It would be setting in no longer than an hour, So I'd best try and figure this out before nightfall.

I lifted myself on the Shiny, Dense box. It was made of a stainless steel metal- as my blood ran off my coat down one side of the cube- Leaving no more than a faint trail. I placed my head in my hands and forced my mind to rewind time. Telling me where I was before this alley. The only thing I could remember was taking down a giant _bat_ like creature. Every so often parts of the past kept returning to me. Within then minutes I retrieved enough information. I remember falling, for what seemed like hours- which would have been no longer than a few seconds. I looked up, and seen a balcony. I recognised that particular balcony. Although there were several others, that one stood out, and not just because of the broken railing, or the fact that if I fell from any other height, no doubt I would have been killed. In fact- I found it unbelievable how I was alive and breathing at this present moment.

I slid off the box, and paced around- it felt as if something was missing. _Someone _was missing. Images of a young boy, with heavenly white hair and beautiful eyes appeared in my head. I snapped my finger and yelled "Hope!" My heart sank. I scanned the alley for a second time- this time I knew what I was looking for. My eyes started tearing up- If I've lost him- Suddenly I heard a groan, I silenced myself and halted, I whispered "Hope?", again another mumble- this time I could almost make out something, yet again- but slightly louder this time, and I heard a gentle voice say; "S-Snow...".

The voice seemed to emerge from underneath a pile of debris. I started to pull away at the pile of rubble, my hands were cut from the fall- and dirt got caught in my wounds. It hurt- But I just wanted Hope from under there. As I was pulling I caught a glimpse of his hand, I worked my way from there. Slowly recovering his arm. Then his chest. Then I worked out the area of where his head must be, luckily there were only tiny stones covering his face. But it must have been intensely painful.

I removed all the Debris away from his body. He was in an unhealthy state. His scarf was drowned in his blood. His shirt was ripped at the front- directly down the middle. Showing his torso, cut and bruised. Much worse than the wounds on my back. And for his legs; Large grazes rode down the length of one leg, and the other was too bleached with blood to make any marks. How someone so small, fragile and delicate as Hope- could survive such a fall was more than luck. It was a miracle.

His breathing was very heavy, almost as if he was struggling to take in the oxygen. I knelt down to him, "Hope?" He let out a groan. He was suffering way more than I was. I slid one hand under his neck, trying not to cause any more pain to his fragile body, I glided the other under his knees- and slowly pulled us both up. He groaned as I lifted him. But I couldn't just leave him there.

I looked around, I needed to find a route that would lead us to a safer place- and somewhere not in the open. There was only one way out of the Alley way. So I headed up and hoped for the best. I was gentle with every step, Not just for my sake. But for Hope's, he was in such pain to begin with. As I walked up the abandoned, Passage. I noticed up ahead there were some doors. By the looks of it; abandoned homes. We must be in the slums of a large city. By the structure of the buildings, it was surely Palumpolum.

As I progressed down the corridor, I could here gunfire and fighting. I halted to a stop, and focused on the distant combat. People screaming, and deep voices laughing.

As I tuned back into my current location; I heard a voice. "Hey boss, I think I found something!" I looked up the corridor and seen shadows in the distance. I looked around for a place to hide. There was a single door to the left of me. I knelt down and lent Hope against my knee as I tried to open the door, it was locked. I looked again up the corridor, the shadows were larger and sounds of footsteps. I gently but quickly picked up Hope and rested my back on the door, "Brace yourself kid!" He didn't respond.

I slammed the door with the heel of my foot, the first blow only made a hole in the door, the second strike however- flew the door wide open. I ran into the house. Placed snow on the nearby table, and shut the door, I noticed a refrigerator to the left of me, I ran over to it and pursued a against it with my hands. The rectangular storage unit toppled over in front of the door. Not what I planned. I grabbed a chair and placed it on top of the fridge, helping it support the door. I no longer needed to worry about that entrance.

I turned around and looked over at Hope, He seemed so helpless. I walked over to him. "Hope?" I waited for a response.

Hope slowly opened one eye, "W-wh- S-sn" I smiled. "It's going to be okay, Kid" I carefully picked him up again. Who knows how long we would be in this house. But until the gunfire and combat stopped. It could be awhile.

I looked around. This house only had one level. It was kind of a relief as I wouldn't have to continue to carry Hope up and down the stairs. Once Hope recovered it would be a lot easier for him to get around until full recovery.

After scanning the area fully. There was one master room with a double bed. A bathroom and a kitchen which joined with the Living area. It was small. But I'm sure we could manage. There was a decent amount of food stocked in the cupboards, I also removed the resources from the toppled fridge. The ones that happened to _survive_ anyway. I had placed Hope on the Sofa. He seemed to be comfortable. He would have been better off in the bedroom, But I didn't want him to be alone. I looked through the resources and found a few cans of Leyak soup. Everything else involved chewing, and Hope just didn't have the energy. I pulled out a pan from the cupboard beneath the sink. Turned on the stove- and placed the pan on top. I opened a can of the soup and emptied it into the pan. I gave it a quick stir, and left it for a few moments to check on Hope.

The sofa wasn't exactly large, it could barely fit Hope on, his legs hung off the side. There were two single sofa's across the other side of the living area and a square footstool. I could most certainly make them that into a larger resting resource.

I picked up the coffee table and placed it against the front door- I wasn't taking any chances. I walked back over into the Living area. I pushed one of them against the nearby wall. I lifted the footstool and placed it in front of the first single sofa, and finally pushed the last against the footstool. This would be far better for Hope.

As I was about to carry Hope over, I noticed his bleeding had most nearly stopped. All the was left was blood-stained clothes. He need to have a wash. I knew he couldn't do it himself. This would be one of the many things I would have to help Hope with over the next few days, Maybe weeks. I paced over to the stove and lower the flame, giving me more time to wash Hope, and rest him again.

I then paced over to the bathroom, there was no shower. Only a bathtub. It was a relief as I would never be able to shower Hope. I inserted the plug, and turned on the hot water. I went back through to get Hope. Again I had to carry him. The state he was in, he won't be walking for at least a week.

As I looked at him, he was cuddling up to a cushion that was placed on the sofa- He looked so sweet. I didn't want to disturb him. But he needed to be cleaned. I pulled him into my arms softly. He moaned as I woke him up- He shook his head and opened his left eye, "Hey kid, I'm just going to help you clean yourself up." He nodded, but he didn't really know what was going on.

I carried him through into the bathroom. The bathtub was half full. He sat him onto the toilet. I turned off the hot water, the tub was steaming. I twisted the handle of the cold tap, I turned it on fast as Hope couldn't sit himself up forever. I turned it off the cold water, dipped my hand into the water. It was warm.

I slowly stood Hope up, "I need you to help me here, Kid" he groaned. I removed his scarf, revealing more wounds. This kid was covered in marks that would for sure leave scars. I then removed his shirt. And softly removed his pants. This kid has deep gashes down his legs. I had already removed his shoes before I placed him on the sofa. Off came his socks, and only leaving the briefs.

It felt weird seeing Hope like this, Not_ creepy_. But, _Nice _weird. I wasn't sure whether I should remove his underpants or if he did. I placed my hand around the waistband of his briefs and looked at him. He gave me a faint nod. I slowly pulled his briefs down from the waistband. I dropped them to his feet and he managed to kick them off himself.

I took a step back and took a full view of Hope. He was injured from head to toe. I felt sorry for him. But I wasn't going to give up on Him. I took hold of his hands as he stepped in the bath. He stumbled on the first step, but I managed to hold him up. He slowly lay down in the tub. The she of the water instantly transformed from clear, into red.

He cried out in pain as the water seeped into his wounds. I stroked his cheek, "It's okay Hope". He nodded, I smiled. He trusted me. I grabbed the bar and Soap. I rubbed it around in my hands. I didn't know where to start.

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**[This is my first FanFic :| As you can see it's a little... It's a bit of a fail ;) But review it anyway please ;D]**


	2. Adapting

I dug deep into the back of the wardrobe, Searching for some more information about the surroundings me and Hope were living in. I hadn't discovered much, only the previous residents of this house because there was a portrait above the fireplace. In the picture there was a little boy, and a man who may have been his father. It was about four in the morning. Hope had been asleep for seven hours now, and I've been hunting down information for about three hours.

I began to feel around in the cupboard, It was pitch black. I would have grabbed the nearby flashlight, but Hope was still very sensitive, He needed his rest and I didn't want to take the risk of waking him up. It wasn't long before I stumbled upon something that felt like a wooden box. I reached into the dark wardrobe and withdrew the box. After closer inspection, I noticed it to be some sort of casket. It was coated in dark, green leather, and was locked with a small, golden padlock.

I know I have no rights to be rummaging through someone else's belongings, but this is more mine and Hope's home now, and we have rights to know about the history of this house. I tugged at the golden block, holding the casket shut. For such a small piece of equipment it packed a decent amount of strength. After several tugs and a few bashes onto the padlock, it eventually broke off. Giving me access to the casket. I slowly opened the lid of leather container.

I stared at the contents of the container. A book and a small, silver dagger.

I removed the dagger and gently placed it on the nearby table behind me. I then picked up the large, thick book. It was coated in leather, just like the casket it was stored in- but the leather was a darkened red, and had silk laces jammed in between a few of the pages.

I pulled up on the first lace, Which opened the book about half way through. I scanned through the words of the first page-

_Monday. 14__th__ June._

_Journal. Rumours have been spreading that the l'Cie that escaped the purge have been spotted not far from here, and on that note- there is no doubt that the sanctum will be patrolling at a short distance from us. It's not safe. Me and Winston are going to have to pack up and leave, we have relatives in Nautilus, I've already contacted them and they are expecting us within the next few weeks. This will also be the last entry I will write into this journal, and I'm leaving you with Wanda's dagger. If anyone some how manages to come across this- please take the dagger- me and Winston could never give it to good use. You may be an inanimate object, journal- but you are part of the family, and we have to do things for those we love- so I'm leaving here, in the back of my wardrobe. You'll be safer there. I leave you now journal, farewell._

I flicked through the rest of the pages I was only half way into the journal, surely it couldn't be the last entry- but I was wrong, the rest of the journal was fully of childish drawings, probably done by the child- maybe that was Winston?

I stood to my feet, with the journal in my hands. I walked to the edge of the king-size, and slowly lowered myself onto the edge of the bed.

I rested my head on the pillow. Reading through random pages that caught my eye. Winston was definitely this mans son, and Wanda was the mother, according to the journal- she died giving birth to Winston.

After a few minutes, I put the book down, and again stood up- and began to walk towards the kitchen, before hearing a groan behind me. Hope had woken up. I turned to face him.

"You okay? You need anything?" I asked.

He faintly shock his head, and tried to sit up.

"You should really be resting, Y'know" I chuckled and went to sit by him again.

We'd been in this house for about two days now, and Hope was already begging to slowly recover. He could talk slightly and was able to stand, but still needed a bit of help walking.

"I can't really sleep when you're rattling through a wardrobe in the middle of the night now, can I?" He backfired.

"Oh… Sorry, I thought I was Quiet"

"It's okay-" He smiled. "I need the bathroom anyway."

"You want any help?"

"No thanks, If I'm ever going to recover… I should really put in an effort."

"Uhhh, Hope- You're really hurt, you don't need to put in the effort yet, give it a couple more days- we have plenty of supplies and time- Those soldiers have moved uptown too, so we're safe for now."

"Oh, Well I suppose I could- No.. I still want to get better, I want to get out of this stuffy house!"

I nodded, "Okay Hope, You can try and force yourself to get better- But we aren't leaving here until you have fully recovered."

"But Snow!-"

"No buts, kid!" I walked over to him and gently pushed him back onto his back. "Just get back to sleep, we're going to be here a whi-"

"I still need the bathroom you know." Hope interrupted.

"Oh yeah… Well go on then, If you want my help just shout of me okay?"

He nodded and slowly rose to his feet, and walked to the bathroom. I heard the door bathroom door shut, I lay back on the bed. It was quite a comfortable bed, The sheets were made of a silky material, and the blanket was made of a nice cotton, I couldn't really tell what the pillows were made of, but they were soft too. The room was dark, The only light brightening the whole house was the light radiating from underneath the bathroom door.

The house was later echoing with the sound of a toilet being flushed. Hope later came out stumbling out of the bathroom door, but managing to keep his balance. I jumped to my feet to escort him back to the bed.

"Here let me help you." I gently placed one hand on his shoulder and the other around his hip, supporting him.

"Thank you" Hope smiled.

I held his hand as he climbed up into the bed. I let him dig himself under the covers, before tucking him into the blanket. He wriggled himself a bit, trying to get comfortable. I smiled, and went over to sit on the chair next to the bed.

"Why you sitting there?" Hope questioned. "You can get in if you want you know, you don't need to worry about hurting me, My cuts don't really hurt anymore" He smiled.

"Uhmm, are you sure? What if I knock you?"

"It's fine, like I said- they don't really hurt anymore" He moved along the bed.

"Oh, okay" I smiled, and climbed on top of the bed. Hope cuddled up into my side, It felt a bit awkward- but I didn't really want to reject it.

"Snow?" Hope said in a curious tone.

"Yeah?"

"Can you tell me a story? I know I'm fourteen and everything, But I never really grew out of the habit of being told a bedtime story" He grinned.

"Urmm, Yeah if you'd like, but I don't really know any stories."

"Really? Well- Tell me about NORA."

I nodded, "Well okay, There was this one time…"

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**Sorry i haven't updated in like two months ! D: But my computer broke ! (Oh dear) And then I had to get a new one ! and everything went obese! (Not literally) Well yeah, this is the second chapter- I think it's abit rushed, and i did it when i was half asleep :/ But y'knnow ! 3 Review pleease ! 3**


	3. Forever Changed

I hummed along to the tune of a well known song that was playing on the radio, while stirring some Leyak soup that I had poured into a pan. Ever since Hope first consumed his first batch it's all he had been craving. It began to simmer- I turned the heat down a little, I gave it a final stir, then reached into the already opened cupboard, and pulled out a bowl. I emptied the pan into it and added a pinch of salt, before realising I wasn't sure if he liked Salt in it or not.

"Hey kid, you like salt don't you!" I shouted, hoping to get a yes.

"You know I do!" I heard a calmer, higher pitched voice shout back.

I sighed a sigh of relief, before picking up the bowl, throwing in a spoon, grabbing a napkin and then carrying the bowl through to the back room. I found Hope lying down on the bed.

"Here ya go, kid." I handed it to Hope, then sat on the side of the bed beside him as he sat up. "Just how you like it." I smiled, and watched as he accepted the bowl from my hands.

"You're not having any?" Hope asked curiously.

"You know I don't like that stuff- and 'sides. I only eat Hero food." I said with pride.

Hope sighed. "Oh yeah. I forgot about that."

He scooped up a spoonful of soup, then emptied it into his mouth. He had such a cute way of eating his meals. He'd always make a mess also, but then I'd have to clean it up. So it's not _all_ cute.

"So you're not having anything at all?" He asked me with a mouthful of soup. "Now I think of it, I never see you eat anything." He pointed out.

I laughed, "Well when you have to look after a teenager, the only spare time you get is when they're in bed. I'll usually just grab something while you're busy playing around in here or in bed."

"Oh, sorry I'm such a hassle…" Hope said sadly, before placing the soup to his side.

"Oh- no! I- I didn't mean it like that, I just mean…" I sighed. I never was good with words. "Hope, I love looking after you-" I placed a hand on his shoulder. "-it's just I can barely look after myself." I continued.

Hope brushed his cheek against my hand, sending shivers all over my body. "Snow-" He suddenly jumped up this feet. "-You're doing a great job!" He grinned.

I looked up at him, "Really?" I asked. "I know we've been here for, what? Like three months? But I'll never get the hang of looking after others." I notified him.

Hope smiled at me, with his adorable half crooked smile. "Well you're not really looking after me-" Hope walked towards me, his words getting more serious. "-we're looking after each other!" He said sharply. He almost resembled Vanille, the way he'd say things so positively.

I stood to my feet with sudden excitement, clenching my fist. "You're right!" I smiled at him.

I gently placed both my hands on his shoulders, "We'll be fine, we'll survive!"

Hope nodded. "We sure will." He threw his arms around my waist, pulling me into a tight hug. For such a small boy, he sure had a bit of strength. Must've got it from me.

"You sure like your hugs, don't ya kid." I chuckled as I pulled him closer.

He blushed, before backing off and turning his back on me.

"N- No… I- I…" He stuttered, as he threw his face into his hands.

I walked up to him, and knelt down to his level.

"Heh, there's nothing wrong with a few hugs, kid. Never meant nothing by it." I pulled him into another hug, "See?"

I heard him gasp, before resting his head on my shoulder.

There was a sudden silence, as we embraced each other in a hug.

Before Hope let out three words, three words that would forever changed the relationship between us.

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**[Ahhh! I have not updates this in like, years! (months ;D) And yees I know it's a little short, and a little… **_**to the point**_**! But y'know! I just felt this fanfic needed updating, and I've had two other chapters, and they have not showed very clearly what will happen! SOOO this was mainly to set up a good plot for chapter 4! ;D And who knows? A lil' smut maybe? WE SHALL SEEE! R&R]**


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